Celebrity Cruises Drink Packages: Which Is Best?

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It used to be that a cruise with Celebrity always included a drinks package – and it was just up to you whether you chose the Classic one that was included, or you upgraded to Premium.

But that’s changed now – you’ve got the option of a cruise-only fare as well, which may be better suited to you if you don’t drink a lot during your holiday.

celebrity cruises couple with drinks

To help you decide whether you want to pick the cruise-only fare, the Celebrity Classic Beverage package or the Premium one, I’ve put together this guide and worked out what’s included, so you can see which fits you best.

There are also specialist non-alcoholic drinks packages too, so I’ll cover those in case they’re more suitable. In fact, there are nine different Celebrity drinks package options that I’ll help you to navigate!

So, is the upgrade to the Premium Drinks Package worth it? Should you stick with the Classic Drinks Package that comes included with an all-inclusive cruise fare? Or is cruise-only the best choice?

Let’s find out…

Are Drinks Always Included on Celebrity Cruises?

Drinks are not always included on Celebrity Cruises. The cruise line offers a cruise-only fare, so if you choose this, then your drinks aren’t included – except for the small number of non-alcoholic drinks that are always free in the buffet restaurant.

With Celebrity Cruises, it used to be the case that drinks were always included for a while – so if you still see anything that says that every cruise includes a drinks package, that’s just slightly out of date.

Read more: Are Celebrity Cruises All Inclusive?

What Drinks Are Free on Celebrity Cruises?

If you don’t choose a drinks package for your Celebrity cruise, then you can still enjoy water, tea, coffee, lemonade, juice, fruit punch and still water in the buffet restaurant, main dining room and speciality restaurants.

All other drinks have a charge – unless you choose one of the drinks packages.

What’s Included in Celebrity Cruises Drinks Packages

What’s the Difference Between Classic and Premium Drinks Packages on Celebrity?

Now that you can choose whether or not you want a drinks package, it’s even more important that you compare the two. And the difference comes down to the value of drinks included – if you choose the Premium package, you enjoy a wider selection of drinks that cost more.

martini

What’s Included in the Classic Drinks Package?

The Celebrity Cruises Classic Drinks Package includes all drinks valued at up to $10 each ($12 for sailings from the UK and Australia). If you order a drink that costs more than that, you’ll pay the difference in price. The Classic Drinks Package also entitles guests to a 15% discount on all wines by the bottle.

What’s Included in the Premium Drinks Package?

If you upgrade to Celebrity Cruises’ Premium Drinks Package, you’ll be able to enjoy all drinks up to the value of $17 each. You’ll also get a 20% discount on bottles of wine.

Unless you’re a serious wine connoisseur, the wine discount is neither here nor there as you’ll likely be ordering wine by the glass rather than the bottle so that you won’t have to pay anything at all.

Examples of What’s Included in Each Package

The Classic Drinks Package includes all kinds of branded drinks, but the choice of brands is smaller than the Premium package.

For example, if you like gin, the Classic package gives you the option of Beefeater, Gordon’s and Bombay Dry. However, the Premium package includes seven more gin brands, such as Hendrick’s and Tanqueray.

With most Premium drinks, there’s a Classic package equivalent. So, if you usually order a Peroni, you could save money by switching to Moretti on the Classic package. However, there are some unique drinks, like Guinness, which are only available on the Celebrity Premium Beverage package.

Full List of What’s Included in Each Package

If you like to enjoy a particular drink most days, then take a look at this full list to find out which package you need…

Beer

Classic Package: Alaska brewing beers (on Alaskan sailings), Amstel Light, Boddington’s, Coors Light, Corona, Corona Light, Franziskaner, Kirin, Kirin Light, Miller Lite, Moretti, Newcastle Brown Ale, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Stripe, Sam Adams, Strongbow Cider.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Anchor Steam, Blue Moon, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Dogfish Head 90, Minute, Estrella Damm gluten-free, Fuller’s London Pride, Grolsch beers, Guinness, Highland Stout, Kingfisher Lager, Kronenbourg 1664, La Fin du Monde, Lagunitas Little, Sumpin’, Lagunitas Pils, Leffe Blond, Magners Cider, O’Hara’s Irish Red, Ommegang Abbey Ale, Orion Lager, Paulaner Salvator, Double Bock, Peroni, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Sapporo, Sierra Nevada, Stella Artois, Stone IPA, Woodchuck Granny Smith Cider, Woodchuck Pear Cider.

Wine

Classic Package: A large selection of wines from around the world, such as chardonnays, merlots, malbecs and riojas.

Premium Package: Champagnes and favourite wines such as Cherry Tart Pinot Noir, Conundrums, Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon, Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc, J&H Selbach Riesling Kabinett, Mer Soleil Chardonnay, Michael David Petite Petit red and Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc.

Gin

Classic Package: Beefeater, Gordon’s and Bombay Dry.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Bombay Sapphire, Bombay Sapphire East, Hendrick’s, Plymouth, Star of Bombay, Tanqueray, Tanqueray No. Ten.

Rum

Classic Package: Bacardi, Bacardi Flavours, Bacardi Oakheart, Captain Morgan’s, Kraken Black Special, Malibu, Myer’s, Wray & Nephew.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Bacardi 8 Años, Brugal, Flor de Caña, Mount Gay, Pyrat XO, Zacapa 23.

Vodka

Classic Package: Absolut, Absolut Flavours, New Amsterdam, Smirnoff, Tito’s.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Absolut Elyx, Belvedere, Belvedere Intense, Chopin, Christiania, Cîroc and flavors, Grey Goose, Hangar 1, Ketel One, Pearl, Rain, Reyka, Russian Standard.

Tequila

Classic Package: Cazadores Blanco, Herradura Blanco, Don Julio Blanco.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Cazadores Reposado, Don Julio Reposado, Herradura Reposado, Patrón Citrónge, Patrón Reposado, Patrón Silver, Patrón XO Café.

Whisky & Bourbon

Classic Package: Canadian Club, Famous Grouse, Monkey Shoulder, Jameson, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker Red, Dewar’s White Label, Seagrams 7 & Vo.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – Aberfeldy 12, Bulleit Rye, Chivas Regal 12, Crown Royal, Dewar’s 12, Gentleman Jack, Glen Scotia Single Malt, Glenfiddich Reserve Cask, Glenfiddich Select, The Glenlivet, Haig Scotch, Highland Park scotches, Highland Park Einar, Jack Daniel’s Black, Jack Daniel’s Honey, Jack Daniel’s Rye, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Johnnie Walker Black, The Macallan, The Macallan Lumina, The Macallan Quest, Maker’s Mark, Rittenhouse Rye, Wild Turkey, Woodford, Double Oaked Woodford Reserve, Woodford Rye.

Cocktails

Classic Package: A large selection of classic cocktails made with Classic Drinks Package spirits

Premium Package: A large selection of cocktails made with Premium Drinks Package spirits including craft cocktails, large martinis, and long drinks. 

Soft Drinks

Classic Package: Fountain soft drinks, soda in cans, juices (apple, cranberry, orange, lemon, grapefruit), bottled water, premium coffees & teas.

Premium Package: Everything from Classic, plus – premium bottled water Acqua Panna, Evian water,  San Pellegrino, fresh juices, bottled juices, Red Bull, sodas, Honest iced teas, Matcha tea, Vitaminwater

Celebrity Drinks Package Prices

How Much Is the Celebrity Cruises Classic Drinks Package?

The Celebrity Classic Drinks Package costs from $89 per person, per day. It varies depending on your specific sailing, so that might not be the exact price you pay, and if you choose an all-inclusive package that also covers Wi-Fi and tips then it might work out cheaper.

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What Cocktails Are Included in the Celebrity Cruises Classic Drinks Package?

There are a small selection of cocktails included in the Classic Drinks Package, although most cost more than $10 so would need you to pay a little extra. All of the zero-alcohol cocktails cost less than $10 so are included.

Bar prices can change, but as a guide, a Bloody Mary costs $10 and a Screwdriver costs $11.

How Much Is the Celebrity Cruises Premium Drinks Package?

If you’ve decided that you’d be happier with the Premium Drinks Package, you’ll want to know how much it costs to upgrade.

The Premium Drinks Package with Celebrity Cruises starts from $109 per person, per day.

women on celebrity cruise ship with drinks
Photo credit: Celebrity Cruises

Two Ways To Upgrade Your Drink Package

Celebrity Cruises offers two ways to upgrade your drinks package. If you’re thinking of getting the premium package, it’s important that you take note of this section and do it the best way. The best way depends on the length of your cruise!

1. Upgrade your cruise from ‘All Included’ to ‘Elevate’.

This gets you the Premium Drinks Package and also a credit of between $100 and $200 which you can spend on a shore excursion of your choice.

The cost is $30 per person, per day, on top of the normal all-inclusive price which would normally include a Classic Drinks package.

The following table shows how much the drinks upgrade actually costs after you’ve deducted the value of the shore excursion…

Cruise LengthCost to Upgrade to ElevateShore Excursion Credit ValueCost of Drinks Upgrade (per day)
3 nights$90$100free
4 nights$120$100$5
5 nights$150$100$10
6 nights$180$150$5
7 nights$210$150$10
8 nights$240$150$11.25
9 nights$270$150$13.33
10 nights$300$200$10
11 nights$330$200$11.81
12 nights$360$200$13.33
13 nights$390$200$14.62
14 nights$420$200$15.71

According to my analysis, the upgrade to the Elevate Package is generally better value for shorter cruises.

It’s important to note that Celebrity Cruises shore excursion prices vary from $69 to $572 per person. The credit can only be used for one excursion, so you might want to pick one that’s close to the value of your credit.

2. Upgrade your drinks package from ‘Classic’ to ‘Premium’.

The second way to upgrade is to upgrade only your drinks package, not your cruise. This gets you the Premium Drinks Package only, with no shore excursion voucher.

The package starts from $109 per person, per day.

If you want the Premium Drinks Package, in most cases, it’s best to upgrade your cruise to the Elevate Package and also get the shore excursion credit.

However, on 9-night cruises or cruises that are 12 nights or longer, you would be better off financially to just upgrade the drinks package from Classic to Premium, and not upgrade your cruise from Always Included to Elevate.

You’ll see in the table above, that for these durations, the daily cost of the drinks upgrade is more than $12, even after you’ve taken off the value of the shore excursion voucher.

Martini

Is the upgrade from Classic to Premium worth it?

Remember, if you have a Classic Package, you can still order Premium drinks, you’ll just have to pay the difference in cost.

  • The Classic Package includes drinks worth up to $10
  • The Premium Package includes drinks worth up to $17

So, if you order a drink that costs $11, the first $10 will be included, and you will only be charged $1.

The most you could pay for a Premium drink if you have the Classic Package is $7.

For the majority of people, an upgrade from Celebrity Cruises’ Classic Package to the Premium Package isn’t worth it because there are so many drinks included in the Classic Package.

I would suggest only upgrading the Premium Package if you are very particular about which brands of drinks you will have, or if you need something special like gluten-free beer.

Wine By The Bottle Packages

If you are someone who prefers to drink wine by the bottle rather than the glass, then there are two packages available that may suit you. Choose one of these and you’ll be able to get a bottle of wine delivered to you by the sommelier anywhere on the ship, including your stateroom.

Premium Wines By The Bottle package

The Premium Wines By The Bottle package includes a mix of three-, five-, or seven-bottle selections. The package starts from $169 and includes some exciting new flavours which your sommelier will be able to talk you through.

Classic Wines By The Bottle package

This package starts from $109 and also includes a mix of three-, five- and seven-bottle selections. It tends to offer more classic wines, such as Australian Chardonnay and US West Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.

a bottle of wine inside celebrity suite

Non-Alcoholic Drink Packages

Not someone who likes an alcoholic drink? Then don’t worry, you don’t have to pay the higher prices for an all-inclusive drinks package when it won’t be good value for you.

There used to be five (!) non-alcoholic drinks packages you could choose from, taking the total number of drinks packages available on a Celebrity cruise up to nine. Things have been simplified now though, and there is just one non-alcoholic option.

Zero Proof package

The Zero Proof drinks package includes a wide range of drinks such as selected bottled water, premium coffees and teas, soda, frozen smoothies, zero-proof cocktails and fresh-squeezed juices. It starts from $30 per person, per day.

How much are the drinks on Celebrity Cruises?

Before you go ahead and decide on a package, it would be wise to know how much the drinks cost. This can help you to figure out whether or not the cost of a drinks package is worth it.

The drink prices on a Celebrity cruise will vary, but expect to pay around $7 for most bottled beers ($10 for premium ones), $9 for glasses of wine ($14 for premium wines), up to $20 for premium cocktails, and $16 for drinks from the Martini bar.

Soft drink prices vary, but expect to pay up to $5 for a soft drink in most bars, as a rough guide.

To make things easy, I can do all of the maths for you. Just leave your email and I’ll send you my drink package calculator that will show you exactly how much you can expect to spend on drinks if you don’t buy a drink package…

Are drinks unlimited on Celebrity Cruises?

There are no limits on the number of drinks you can order if you have a drinks package, provided you either stick to those included in your package or pay the difference. Obviously, you may be refused service if the bar staff think you have had too many, and you’re acting inappropriately!

couple at Deck 5 Eden Bar

To conclude

The Classic Drinks package used to be included as standard with all new Celebrity Cruises bookings. It includes many different drinks, worth up to $10 each.

But now that it isn’t, you need to think a little more about which of the Celebrity Cruise drink packages is the right one for you, and offers you the best value.

You can upgrade your drinks to a Premium Drinks Package for an extra cost again, or $30 per day with a free shore excursion. Which option is best depends on the length of your cruise.

For most people, the Classic Drinks Package is sufficient, but if you like particular drinks, then the upgrade may be worth it.

And if you don’t drink alcohol, you’re spoiled for choice with five non-alcoholic packages to choose from – so one of those may be better for you and your family. But you may decide that a Celebrity drink package isn’t worth it either – so think about how much you plan to order.

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Cruise Mummy

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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22 thoughts on “Celebrity Cruises Drink Packages: Which Is Best?”

  1. Hi, I’ve just read about the wine packages but can’t seem to find the details on line. Has this package been discontinued or only available on certain routes? I’m on a transatlantic cruise in October. Thanks

  2. Thank you. Great info.
    Is an Aperol Spirtz included in the Classics package?
    If not would you know what the price for a glass is?
    Thanks

  3. I have a question regarding Celebrity drink package. I’m currently signed up for the classic drink package but was wondering if I can upgrade to the premium package without having my wife sign up for the premium package as well since she doesn’t drink alcohol? If anyone can answer this question it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

    • Hi Gregg. I believe that you would both need to have the same package, unfortunately. Jenni

  4. We upgraded our drink package to Premium on Concierge class plus. Is the Baci coffee bar include in this package.

  5. This is a great article for anyone considering a Celebrity cruise and trying to decide which drink package to purchase. The author provides clear and concise information on the different packages available, including non-alcoholic options. I appreciate the breakdown of what is included in each package and the comparison between the Classic and Premium options. The clarification on the recent change to the cruise-only fare is also helpful. Overall, this article provides valuable insight for anyone looking to make an informed decision on which drink package to choose for their Celebrity cruise. Thank you for the helpful information!

  6. Do you know if mocktails are included in either the classic non-alcoholic package or the premium non-alcoholic package?

    • Hi Morgan. Yes, the premium non-alcoholic package includes non-alcoholic cocktails, frozen drinks & smoothies. Jenni

  7. Two part question..
    – Do you know if iced tea and lemonade are included at dinner in the dining room if I don’t have any drink package on Celebrity? I believe that they used to be, but from what I have found so far it looks like just tap water is complimentary.
    – Is it possible to get a kids drink package as an adult? The smoothies sound perfect!

  8. Thank you for such concise information.
    I cannot find an answer to the following question.
    My husband and I are going on a cruise with our 2 kids, 10 and 12 years old . Cruise booked in feb to include classic drinks package .
    What’s included for the kids in this

    • They get the kids drink package so all kinds of soft drinks, bottled water, fruit juices etc.

  9. I just called Celebrity and they said the Classic drink package is NOT free, it over $400 for the week EACH.

    • Thanks for this, Marc. Celebrity Cruises used to include drinks with every cruise but have recently introduced a cruise only rate as well. I’ll be sure to update this article asap. Thanks! Jenni

  10. Are frozen Pina Coladas included in the classic drink package on Celebrity cruise line

    • Yes they are.

  11. What is the charge for the Tumbler if you have classic package ?

    • The Classic Drinks Package is no longer included in all Celebrety Sailings. You now need to upgrade from Cruise Only to “ Always Included”
      ( so it’s now Sometimes Included)

  12. Does anyone know if we have to pay a gratuity on each and every drink with the premium package or are they already included.

    • Thankfully No you don’t

      The price you pay per day includes a 20% gratuity

  13. I found this info very helpful. Thanks.

  14. Very helpful, thank you!!

  15. Found this very useful. Theres no need for me to upgrade the drinks pacķage based on your helpful guide. Now on to wifi …….

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